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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22437826">Ghost</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/rodabonor/pseuds/rodabonor'>rodabonor</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Past and Present [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hannibal (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bottom Will Graham, Double Anal Penetration, Fake Marriage, M/M, On the Run, Oral Sex, Post-Episode: s03e13 The Wrath of the Lamb, Threesome - M/M/M, real emotions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 10:46:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,837</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22437826</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/rodabonor/pseuds/rodabonor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>Jed held his hands up. “I’m sorry, Hannibal. That was in poor taste, I didn’t mean to overstep—”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You’ve done no such thing,” Hannibal interrupted, as calm as ever. “It’s an honest suggestion. Or what do you say, Will?” He turned to Will. “I’m not opposed to involving Jed in our marriage. For the night.”</em>
</p><p>After the fall, Will and Hannibal pass through one of the places where Will grew up. They run into Will's ex boyfriend, who unwittingly helps them resolve some of their issues.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter, Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter/Original Male Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Past and Present [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1621987</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>225</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Ghost</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This fic happened because of an (initially silly) headcanon about Will having an ex boyfriend who is the polar opposite of Hannibal, ie a total sweetheart who would never hurt a fly and wears cowboy boots unironically as he is an honest to god rancher. When I introduced them all to each other it turned a little angstier than expected, but that's usually what happens when Hannibal is involved. There's a part 2 I'll get around to posting eventually, but for now I hope you'll enjoy this kinda odd little story.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hannibal looked out the shop window, watching the pale sky hanging over the ashen landscape with distaste. Biloxi was predictably dreadful in the winter, none of the idyllic snow globe scenery of Baltimore. But Will had wanted to make a stop here, so he followed. </p><p>Anywhere Will went, Hannibal would follow. </p><p>It had never been a spoken agreement, but Will seemed to know intuitively. Splitting up had never once been an option since they healed.</p><p>They were picking up supplies in a small convenience store when Hannibal suddenly felt Will grab his arm, harsh and rattlesnake-quick. Hannibal froze, not looking around in case they were being watched.</p><p>“This way,” Will said quietly, steering Hannibal down a different aisle. Hannibal felt a stir of concern; Will had never acted this way before, not even when the manhunt was first announced and their faces were plastered all over the internet, on every front page and television screen.</p><p>“Police?” Hannibal asked, voice as quiet as Will’s. Will looked up, mouth slack with surprise. He gave a brisk shake of his head.</p><p>“No. God, no, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”</p><p>“Then what was it?”</p><p>“It was just—” Will trailed off, scrubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “It’s nothing. I saw someone I used to know.”</p><p>“Bad blood?”</p><p>“No, not at all.” Will frowned. “It’s really nothing. I’m sorry I worried you.”</p><p>Hannibal tamped down his curiosity and followed Will to the register. As Will rifled through his pockets to find his wallet, he suddenly took one step too many and bumped into a man at the end of the line. Hannibal watched Will’s eyes widen for a brief second before he stepped back, ducking his head. </p><p>“Sorry,” Will said, shrinking as the man turned around. He was over a head taller than Will and even from afar he appeared muscular, his denim jacket tight over the broad expanse of his back. Hannibal felt himself tensing. It was curious, the urge to protect that arose after the fall, the almost incontrollable desire to step between Will and whatever threatened his well-being.</p><p>“Oh, that’s fine,” the man said, voice sluggish with a southern drawl. He gave Will a quick once-over and something suddenly seemed to click into place in his eyes. “Do I know you?”</p><p>A moment of silence passed. Then Will finally looked up, and to Hannibal’s surprise, a wide grin spread over the man’s face.</p><p>“Will?” he said, and Will nodded sheepishly, a tentative smile on his lips. “Well, I’ll be damned!” </p><p>The man laughed and abruptly roped Will into his arms, practically lifting him off the floor as he held him tight. Hannibal watched in impassive silence, unsure what to do as Will patted the man awkwardly on the back before he was released.</p><p>“What’re you doing here?” the man asked, still smiling, excitement brightening his eyes. “It must’ve been decades.”</p><p>“I’m just passing through,” Will said and glanced back at Hannibal, gesturing towards him. “Uh, this is my husband, Hannibal. Hannibal, this is Jed.”</p><p>The man whistled slowly. “Your husband, huh?” he said, then reached out to shake Hannibal’s hand. His hand was warm and calloused, grip as firm as Hannibal would have expected. </p><p>“Pleasure to meet you, Hannibal,” Jed said. “Me and Will were friends back when he used to live here.”</p><p>“Well, you could say that,” Will gave a slight smile that struck Hannibal as almost shy. “Jed was my first boyfriend.” </p><p>He didn’t quite look at Hannibal as he said it, keeping his gaze lowered. Hannibal was genuinely surprised to have his assumptions about Will shatter. They had agreed to lie about being married since the fall, a story they maintained carefully enough that Hannibal got them matching wedding bands, but he always figured Will was heterosexual. He had only ever expressed an interest in women for as long as Hannibal had known him.</p><p>Looking back at Jed with this newfound piece of knowledge, Hannibal saw him differently. His build made him stand out in a crowd, but aside from that, he saw nothing remarkable about him. He had deep-set blue eyes and dirty blonde hair, long enough to touch his shoulders, and his square jaw was shadowed by stubble. Along with his denim jacket, he wore stonewashed jeans and a pair of worn cowboy boots.</p><p>He was in no way a man Hannibal would have deemed suitable for Will, as young as he might have been when they first met. Even so, Hannibal had to admit within the privacy of his own mind, there was a certain charm to him. From this brief interaction alone, Hannibal could tell he was kind. Goodness was a trait Will valued, no matter how bland, how undiluted by complexity of character. Hannibal forced a thin smile to his lips, tilting his head.</p><p>“Quite the coincidence we should run into each other here,” he said. “I regret we’re only passing through. Under different circumstances, we would have invited you for dinner.”</p><p>“Well,” Jed said, perking up, “I’d love to have you both for dinner. Unless you already have plans tonight, of course.”</p><p>Will shook his head. “No plans. We’re leaving tomorrow, so we were just going to stay at our motel. We’d love to come, if you’d have us.” He glanced at Hannibal. “Right, Hannibal?”</p><p>“You’re very generous to offer,” Hannibal said. Jed showed his teeth in a bright smile.</p><p>“Would you like to stay the night? I reckon it’d be more comfortable than a motel room. I’ve plenty of space.”</p><p>“Are you sure it wouldn’t be an imposition?” Will asked. Jed shook his head.</p><p>“Shouldn’t have to stay in a motel when you’ve friends nearby. I’d love an opportunity to catch up.” He paused, checking his wrist watch. “What do you say, seven tonight?”</p><p>“That sounds great.” Will smiled. It was a rare smile that parted his lips and reached his eyes, and Hannibal fought the immature impulse to sneer. “Do you still live on your father’s ranch?”</p><p>“That I do.”</p><p>“We’ll be there.”</p><p>*</p><p>Will was nervous.</p><p>There was no real reason for him to be. Of all people Will had known, Jed was one of the few who had made him feel comfortable and at ease with himself and his surroundings. There was a peculiar warmth to him, an ability to drag Will out of his own head. He never had any relationship before or since that was that easy.</p><p>They had met when Will’s father installed them in a trailer park in Biloxi two summers in a row. Will had been sixteen and already world-weary from too much travel, too many new people and too many new places, but he still longed for lasting connections. When he met Jed at his part time job at his father’s ranch, he hadn’t hoped for much, but Jed slowly broke down his defenses. They became friends. After a night of drinking, Jed leaned over from the driver’s seat of his uncle’s car and kissed him, and they’d started dating too.</p><p>Jed didn’t truly understand him. Will had always known that. But for two summers, he had given Will everything he had, and Will had tried to do the same. </p><p>“We don’t have to go,” Will said to Hannibal as they got ready to leave, both wanting him to call it off and hoping he wouldn’t. Hannibal shook his head.</p><p>“We can go,” he said. “It might actually be safer than remaining here, unless you have reason to believe he’d tip off the police.”</p><p>“I doubt he would have heard about us,” Will said. “If he had, I would have noticed. He’s not a great liar.” </p><p>During their time together, Will had never seen Jed read anything, including newspapers. He barely even watched TV. Will doubted Jed would even have a reliable internet connection, and if he was anything like his younger self, he only turned up the volume on the radio when music was on. Will had briefly considered using Hannibal’s alias when he introduced him, but even that felt excessive where Jed was concerned.</p><p>“We’ll be cautious,” Will added with a shrug. “but we should be fine.”</p><p>“Very well,” Hannibal said. And that was the end of that.</p><p>*</p><p>Will found himself glancing at his reflection in the car window once he slammed the door shut outside of Jed’s ranch. It was stupid; as teenagers, neither he nor Jed had cared what the other looked like, too busy <em>getting up to no good</em>, as Jed’s father used to put it. Will still found Jed’s big, calloused hands down his pants, sweaty and dirty from working all day in the Mississippi sun as he’d been.</p><p>That wasn’t even the purpose of his visit this time. It was increasingly hard to remember as Will scanned the property, feeling his memories stirring like dust at the back of his mind. Once they were getting close, Jed walked out of the front door and waved, making a small smile tug on Will’s lips. He handed over the bottle of red wine Hannibal insisted on bringing.</p><p>“I don’t know what we’re having,” Will said. “But my husband thinks it’s rude to show up empty-handed.”</p><p>“No, this’ll be perfect,” Jed said, turning the bottle in his hands with a pleased smile. “We’re having venison. Ain’t been hunting myself, but I get it from a buddy this time of year.”</p><p>Will scoured his memory. “Wyatt?” </p><p>Jed’s smile widened. “The one and only. You and that photographic memory of yours.”</p><p>Will laughed. “Hard to forget.” He skated a glance over at Hannibal, who seemed reluctantly intrigued at the mention of venison.</p><p>“Well, come on in then,” Jed said, waving them towards the front door. “Dinner’s ready soon, just needs a minute in the oven.”</p><p>Will walked inside with Hannibal and couldn’t help but smile as he entered the house. It looked the same as he remembered, only a little quieter, a little dimmer somehow. It didn’t surprise him; Jed’s father had seemed old to him even when he was a kid, grey and rugged as a coyote, skin creased and leather-tough.</p><p>“All by yourself here these days, Jed?” he said, raising his voice so he could be heard from the kitchen.</p><p>“Yes, sir,” Jed called back. “My dad died some 20 years ago. My cousins help out now and then though, they still live close by.”</p><p>Will walked into the kitchen with Hannibal in tow and watched Jed pick a casserole dish out of the oven. The air was permeated with the scent of meat and spices, warm from the heat of the oven, and it was oddly comforting, feeling like home as much as any other home Will had known. Will sat down by the table and Hannibal sat down next to him, watching Jed as closely as Will was.</p><p>“I’m sorry for your loss,” Will said. “Your father was always good to me, you know.”</p><p>“He was a good man,” Jed agreed. “And Will Graham senior?”</p><p>“Died years ago as well,” Will said. “I’m glad you’ve got some family left at least.”</p><p>“Family’s important,” Jed said and put two casserole dishes down onto the table, one containing venison stew and one containing vegetables. He sat down across from Will and gestured to the table. “Help yourselves, please.”</p><p>Hannibal poured them wine and they ate in companionable silence, not as awkward as Will had feared it would be, even though Hannibal was quieter than usual. Finally, Jed put his glass of wine down and eyed them both expectantly. </p><p>“So, how long you two been married?” </p><p>“We’ve known each other for some time,” Hannibal said, “but this is fairly new. Less than a year.”</p><p>“Why, then congratulations are in order, aren’t they?” Jed said cheerfully. “Practically newlyweds.”</p><p>Will smiled. “You don’t have a partner? Charmer like you.”</p><p>Jed grinned, a Cheshire cat smile Will had always been drawn to. “Nothing long-term,” he said. “Hard to meet somebody. And I’m living all the way out here, you know. It may be a tough sell.” His smile turned soft at the edges. “Though lord knows I could use another set of hands around the house.”</p><p>“Would you like to live somewhere else?” Hannibal asked.</p><p>“No.” Jed shook his head briskly. “It’s good to be connected to your roots. I doubt I’d feel at home anywhere else at this point. Where do you two live?”</p><p>“We’re moving to Paris,” Hannibal said. “My childhood home, speaking of roots.” It was a lie; they had made arrangements to move to Cuba, but Will supposed it was better Jed didn’t know. “I’m setting up a new practice there. I’m a psychiatrist. Will is going to teach.”</p><p>“Good lord, Will. You landed yourself a doctor, huh?” </p><p>“Will is not so bad himself,” Hannibal said with a smile. “He used to teach forensic psychology at Quantico. When we met, he was a special agent for the FBI.”</p><p>Jed’s eyes widened almost comically. “Is that so, Will?”</p><p>“Hannibal exaggerates,” Will said, though he couldn’t help but smile. Their little domestic charade felt good, as much as it’d crumble behind closed doors. “I sometimes consulted on cases.”</p><p>“He’s personally responsible for the capture of a few high-profile serial killers,” Hannibal interjected. “False modesty is unbecoming, my dear.”</p><p>Jed laughed, a delighted, contagious laughter that brought a smile even to Hannibal’s face. “I always knew you’d move on to do great things, Willy,” he said. “That’s amazing. I’m so happy for you.”</p><p>“Thanks, Jed.” Will smiled and didn’t resist Hannibal’s hand as it moved to grasp his on the table.</p><p>The conversation moved on to different things, and after some time, they ran out of wine. After that, they all drank Jed’s cheap beer, which amused and surprised Will equally. He would have thought Hannibal would refuse, but he drank it as easily as any of his expensive wines.</p><p>All the while, Will was torn between looking at Jed, marveling at the ways he in which he’d changed and stayed the same, and looking at Hannibal, seeing him so completely out of his element for the first time. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes looked almost wet in the dim, yellow light of the lamp overhead, and he smiled with his teeth more than Will had ever seen him do before. He supposed he was merely watching Hannibal adapt to his surroundings, but he couldn’t help but hope there were glimmers of something genuine there too.</p><p>“I hope you know you’re one lucky guy, Hannibal,” Jed said, resting his cheek in his palm. “Will is truly special. You know I always thought so, right, Willy? Anyone would be happy to have you.”</p><p>“Anyone would be happy to have you too, Jed,” Will said and found he meant it. “We had a lot of fun, you and I.”</p><p>Jed’s smile widened. “Remember when we used to sneak apples from the market? And you got cocky that one time and tried to get away with a watermelon?” He laughed. “Tucking it under your goddamn shirt. It was damn near bigger than you, what on earth were you thinking?”</p><p>Will laughed, a bright, too-loud thing that made him clap a hand over his mouth. “I don’t know, I just really wanted that watermelon. What about when we broke into your uncle’s house through the bedroom window and stole his beer? I’ve never been yelled at like that in my life.”</p><p>“It’s a good thing we also stole the keys to his pickup truck so we could make our escape,” Jed said and shook his head. “Do you remember that?”</p><p>“Of course I do. That was my first kiss. And my first, uh—everything.” Will chuckled, feeling a swell of fondness in his chest. Jed had parked the pickup truck in a small clearing in the woods and kissed him there in the humid dark, his tongue sour from lukewarm beer and cigarettes. When he shoved his hand beneath the waistband of Will’s underwear and opened him up with too-dry fingers, Will had felt the way his hands were sticky from the watermelon he’d stolen for them to share.</p><p>“You were so pretty,” Jed said. “Still are. I don’t think you ever realized just how much.” Jed sighed, looking over at Hannibal. “Like I said, you’re a lucky guy. Though one can only hope Will has improved his technique with certain things.” He made a crude gesture with his hand and dissolved into laughter along with Will, who couldn’t help but hide his face in his hands.</p><p>“Perhaps there is a way for you to find out,” Hannibal said, and Will’s smile died abruptly on his lips. He shot Hannibal a look, but Hannibal was only looking at Jed, face somber and serious. “Why limit yourself to mere recollection?” </p><p>Jed held his hands up. “I’m sorry, Hannibal. That was in poor taste, I didn’t mean to overstep—”</p><p>“You’ve done no such thing,” Hannibal interrupted, as calm as ever. “It’s an honest suggestion. Or what do you say, Will?” He turned to Will. “I’m not opposed to involving Jed in our marriage. For the night.”</p><p>Will looked between them, feeling a surge of panic, despite the alcohol muddling his impressions. Since they’d emerged from the frigid waters of the Atlantic, Will had shared a bed with Hannibal out of necessity. They had never shared more than that, barely even touched since their wounds had healed and there was no longer any need.</p><p>“How much have you had to drink, Hannibal?” he said, laughing nervously. “I’m not sure that’s—that’s a good idea.”</p><p>“Jed is an attractive man, isn’t he?” </p><p>“Well, I’m sure Jed isn’t, uh, interested in me like that anymore.” Will realized he had reached up to touch his own cheek, absently rubbing the numb, knotted scar tissue there. More scars lurked beneath his clothes, behind the hair lying coiled across his forehead. </p><p>“Now, Will,” Jed said, disapprovingly. “You know I’d never do anything you didn’t want to do, but you’ve nothing to be ashamed of.”</p><p>“We had a car accident,” Hannibal explained, calmly lying through his teeth. “He has been self-conscious ever since.” He took Will’s hand and rubbed his thumb over his knuckles. “We needn’t do anything you don’t want to, my darling. Forgive me for presuming. It was a rash proposition.”</p><p>Will looked between the two of them again, disbelieving, unsure of what to say. He didn’t know how to feel about Hannibal suggesting it in the first place, or what to think of it.</p><p>“Is that—something you’d like to do, Jed?” he asked, cautiously. “You can be honest.”</p><p>“It’s certainly unexpected,” Jed said. “But I’m not opposed.”</p><p>Hannibal was still holding Will’s hand. It was warm and soft, almost like a woman’s hand, not nearly as rough as Will would have expected just looking at them. He tried to picture what the rest of his body would feel like beneath his own exploratory touch, then he tried to bring the memory of Jed to the surface, remembering the comforting weight of his body on top of him, the scent of his sweat, his stubbled cheeks leaving red marks on the apple-white inside of his thighs.</p><p>Will took another moment to consider, and in the end, he wasn’t sure what won out. He nodded, hand twitching in Hannibal’s grip. “Bedroom?”</p><p>“You know the way,” Jed said and stood, taking them both upstairs.</p><p>*</p><p>Will thought they might end up in the bedroom Jed had as a kid, but it turned out he’d taken over the master bedroom. It was spacious and felt lived in, filled with books and blankets and furs. A few antlers that had been mounted on the wall, horns reflecting moonlight that spilled through the window.</p><p>“I meant what I said,” Hannibal said as they entered the room. “I intend to observe, not participate. For now, at least.”</p><p>“Fine by me,” Jed said, and Will nodded, feeling a fresh rush of nerves. Jed undressed with the ease of someone comfortable in his own skin, taking off his shoes and socks, then his shirt, pants and underwear, as though no one was watching. Will couldn’t help but let his gaze linger in the deep divots of his lower back, in the shadows gathering beneath bulging muscle. Jed had always been huge, but he appeared even bigger to him now. A life of hard work with no rest to soften his edges.</p><p>“Need any help with that?” Jed said and closed the distance between them, thumbing the buttons of his shirt. Will nodded and toed off his shoes, starting to unbutton his pants as Jed took his shirt off. Everything dropped to the floor and for a brief second, Will felt terribly exposed with nothing but his scars to shield him, some of them faded white and some a fresh, raw-looking pink. </p><p>“You sure got banged up in that accident,” Jed said, voice devoid of unease or the brand of sticky sympathy Will couldn’t stand. He slowly traced the nest of scars on Will’s right shoulder before moving down to his chest and belly, clicking his tongue when he reached the scar Hannibal carved above his navel. </p><p>Will swallowed, glancing over at Hannibal, who was fully clothed and seated in an armchair close to the bed. His eyes were fixed on Jed’s hand and seemed to shimmer in the low light. </p><p>“I know,” Will said, tearing his gaze away. “It’s not pretty. But I guess I’m lucky to be alive.”</p><p>“No more of that now,” Jed said. “I keep telling you, sweetheart. You’re beautiful.”</p><p>Will felt his face warm and looked away, but Jed put his hand under his chin, tipping his head up for a kiss. For a split second, Will felt like a sixteen-year-old again, just as jittery and awkward with inexperience. Then Jed tilted his head and their mouths slotted together, and it was so easy to fall into it. Jed’s lips were chapped but still warm and soft, eerily like Will remembered them. Only a sky full of stars and sticky-sweet fingers were missing. </p><p>Will let Jed push him down on to the bed, moaning as his weight settled over him and he felt his hard cock press into his belly. He couldn’t help but rock up against it, eyes fluttering closed as his gut drew tight with arousal. Jed grinned.</p><p>“Still so sensitive,” he said. He covered Will’s chest with his broad hands, kneading the soft flesh there before scraping his nails gently over his nipples, making Will buck underneath him. “I always said you had the cutest tits in town. Better than any of the girls we went to school with, in any case.”</p><p>Will groaned and shook his head, laughing and grimacing by turns. “Don’t call them that, Jesus. You never were quite right in the head.”</p><p>“Maybe not. Always liked making you laugh though.” Jed’s smile turned soft and he let his hand trail down between Will’s legs, palming his cock. “Want me to suck you?”</p><p>“Please,” Will said, already breathless. </p><p>“Sure you’re not going to join us?” Jed glanced back at Hannibal, who just shook his head.</p><p>“I’m content to watch.”</p><p>Jed shrugged. “Very well.” He bent his neck and nuzzled Will’s cock before taking it into his mouth, so much at once that Will couldn’t help but cry out, fingers tangling in Jed’s hair and pulling too-sharply at the silky-soft strands. Will hadn’t touched himself in months, never alone for long enough to even consider it, and feeling all that wet pressure now pushed him perilously close to the edge. He dug his nails into his own thigh, trying to stave it off, head tipping back with a groan. </p><p>Will was so caught up in Jed’s mouth on him that he barely noticed Hannibal rising from his chair to sit down on the edge of the bed. He opened his eyes to find Hannibal watching him, face as impassive as always, though his eyes were full of intent.</p><p>“Tell me, Will,” Hannibal said, gaze catching on Will’s. “Is this what you used to do when you were dating?”</p><p>Will licked his lips, wanting to look away and feeling like he couldn’t. “Not always,” he said, breath hitching as Jed wrapped a hand around the part of his cock he couldn’t fit beneath the seal of his lips. “We’d—jerk each other off. Sometimes he—he fucked me.” </p><p>Jed hummed around his cock, a pleased sound, and Will screwed his eyes shut and bit down on a moan.</p><p>“And did you like that? Getting fucked.”</p><p>Will’s stomach flipped from hearing the last word in Hannibal’s voice. He nodded, feeling embarrassed though he didn’t truly think he had anything to be ashamed of. </p><p>“I liked it,” he said. Hannibal tipped his head and looked over at Jed, eyeing him for a brief moment before looking back at Will.</p><p>“Then I think that’s something you should do again. Don’t you?”</p><p>“God,” Will mumbled. “Will you still watch?”</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>Jed pulled off, angling a glance over at Hannibal. “There’s lube in the top drawer by the bed, if you would be so kind.”</p><p>Hannibal stood and returned quickly with a bottle that he handed over to Jed. To Will’s surprise, Hannibal made his way up on the bed afterwards and pulled Will’s head into his lap, absently stroking his hair out of his face. Will was so distracted by the tips of his fingers carding through his hair that he let out a surprised noise when Jed’s fingers nudged against his hole, carefully testing the give. </p><p>“So tense,” Jed said, a note of concern in his voice. “Sure you want to do this, Willy?”</p><p>“Yes,” Will said through gritted teeth, because he didn’t want anything to stop, not really. he thought of what he’d once told Hannibal: <em>you were just curious what I would do</em>. He felt compelled by some of that same curiosity now, wanting to see what would happen if he let this experiment run its course. </p><p>Jed breached him with one finger, then another, and Will eventually remembered how to relax, how to bear down to take it more easily. Jed made an appreciative noise, twisting his fingers trying to find his prostate. </p><p>“That’s better,” Jed said, sounding oddly relieved. He craned his neck and took Will into his mouth once more, making Will gasp and squirm. He turned his head, face rubbing against the coarse fabric of Hannibal’s pants, and felt the outline of his erection just next to his cheek. Will’s arousal felt like it was spilling everywhere; he wanted to give as much as he got. He wanted to use his mouth on Hannibal, but he was too afraid to ask, worried Hannibal was motivated by something other than sexual desire.</p><p>“I’m ready,” Will said instead, glancing down at Jed. Slowly, Jed removed his fingers and let his cock slip from his mouth, then he spread Will’s legs and propped one of his ankles up on his shoulder. Will watched Jed’s face as he started pushing inside, finding his frown of concentration strangely endearing, then he had to squeeze his eyes shut, letting a hiss through his teeth. He had forgotten what it felt like to be filled up this way, and everything about the situation was pulling the threads of his frayed nerves. </p><p>Hannibal’s fingers were still in his hair. The scent of his cologne surrounded him, and Will didn’t know if he was imagining it, but he thought he could taste Hannibal’s arousal in the air. Still, he didn’t dare to look up to see what was showing on his face, could hardly even bear to move his head for fear of Hannibal untangling his fingers from his hair.</p><p>“Fuck, you feel good,” Jed said, grunting softly. “Don’t you think so, Hannibal?”</p><p>“Will is exquisite,” Hannibal said, making Will finally risk a glance up at his face. Hannibal stroked the side of his face, smiling thinly. “Is it good for you, darling?” </p><p>“Yeah,” Will said and swallowed, lowering his gaze again. “Can I—blow you?”</p><p>“If you’d like.” Will didn’t know how to feel about the way he said it, so cavalier, like they did it all the time. Hannibal unbuttoned his pants, drew his cock out from his underwear and Will shifted as much as he was able, tonguing the slit before wrapping his lips around the tip. He moaned around it, feeling a sense of the surreal bleeding into reality. </p><p>From the awkward angle he was trapped in, Will couldn’t fit all of Hannibal’s cock in his mouth. But he tightened his lips and used his tongue to tease the sensitive place beneath the head, feeling a surge of excitement when he managed to make Hannibal draw a sharp breath. He had to stop now and then when Jed’s thrusts became short and rough, knocking the breath out of his lungs and hitting the spot inside him that sent molten pleasure down his spine.</p><p>Will felt so open now. Nothing hurt at all, everything a smooth slide, despite the strain in his thighs and the ache in his jaw.</p><p>“Like he was born for it,” Jed said and hissed, placing his foot down on the bed to gain leverage as he kept thrusting. Will choked on a moan as the change in angle pushed his cock impossibly deeper. “You take cock fucking beautifully, babe.”</p><p>“Can you take more, I wonder?” Hannibal said, gently petting his hair. Will let his cock slide out of his mouth, breathing harshly and resisting the urge to wipe his spit-slick lips with the back of his hand.</p><p>“Just let me get into another position,” he said. “I can do better.”</p><p>“You did wonderfully,” Hannibal said, a slight smile on his lips. “That isn’t quite what I had in mind though. I want to be inside of you.”</p><p>Will blinked. “What?”</p><p>“I want you to take me and Jed at the same time.” Hannibal thumbed his cheek. “My darling. You’ve taken more than that. I’m sure you can do it.”</p><p>Will squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head, but even as he did, he was shifting. “How—how do you want me?”</p><p>“I’ll lie down, I think,” Hannibal said. “You go on top. Jed behind you.”</p><p>Will moved as if in a daze, straddling Hannibal’s hips and reaching back to hold his cock upright so he could sink down on it. A small whine slipped from his mouth as Hannibal slowly breached him. He felt big, unrelenting like a blade, and he couldn’t make himself move even as he managed to take all of it inside him. Finally, Jed grabbed his hips and slowly started moving them for him, and Will fell into the rhythm he set out of pure instinct. </p><p>“That’s good, sweetheart,” Jed said, breath ghosting warm against the shell of his ear. His hands slid up to Will’s chest, thumbing his nipples. “Ready for my cock?”</p><p>Will nodded, though he didn’t feel ready at all. “I am.”</p><p>Jed kissed his neck, rubbing his nipples until Will squirmed from it. “I want to hear you say it, okay? Tell us what you want.”</p><p>“I want—I want you to fuck me. Both of you.”</p><p>“Alright, then.” Will could hear the smile in Jed’s voice as he positioned himself behind him. “Coming right up.”</p><p>Jed started pushing inside him, slowly forcing his way into Will’s body, cock sliding slick over Hannibal’s. Will could hear the noises pouring out of his own mouth, though he was helpless to stop them; it was almost unbearable, the indescribable sense of fullness, always teetering on the edge of painful without tipping fully into it. </p><p>“Oh God, oh Jesus,” he said, and felt Jed’s hands running along his sides in slow, soothing strokes. He finally bottomed out and Will collapsed onto Hannibal, resting his forehead against Hannibal’s shoulder.</p><p>“What’s it like, Will?” Hannibal asked, one hand moving up to caress the nape of his neck.</p><p>“It’s too much.” Will drew a wet breath, realizing he was close to crying from the sheer physical strain. Jed gave a tentative thrust that sent a jolt of pleasure or possibly pain through him; they were both pushing up against his prostate, hitting it dead on without even trying. He didn’t even think he was hard anymore, but every little movement shot through him like a bolt of lightning and made his cock twitch and leak onto Hannibal’s stomach.</p><p>“It’s alright, Willy,” Jed said, rubbing gentle circles over his lower back. “We’ll stop if you want to.”</p><p>“He won’t stop,” Will said and couldn’t help but sob in earnest, drawing a harsh breath as his eyes filled with wet, burning warmth. “I know he won’t.”</p><p>“Hey,” Jed stilled and put his hand on Will’s cheek to turn his face. He caught Will’s tearful gaze and gentle concern overtook his face. “I would never let anyone hurt you. You trust me, right? Tell me if you want to stop.”</p><p>“I don’t,” Will said, voice wavering, sounding almost petulant to his own ears. Jed bit his lip, but still gave a curt nod.</p><p>“Then we’ll keep going,” he said, petting Will’s check with his knuckles. “And don’t you worry about nothing, sweetheart. We’ll make it good for you. I’ll make sure of it.”</p><p>Will nodded and fell back on top of Hannibal again, letting the feeling of them both inside him overtake him. He was vaguely aware of Hannibal holding him as they both thrusted inside him, cradling his head to his chest and mumbling softly into his hair. Eventually he felt Jed picking up the pace, fucking him faster until he stilled, coming inside him with a groan and leaning his sweaty forehead against Will’s back.</p><p>As Jed slipped out, Will could feel his come leaking out of him and staining the inside of his thighs. There were sickening, squelching noises from Hannibal’s cock still thrusting inside him, and he couldn’t help but feel utterly mortified. But then Jed was suddenly moving behind him again, groping Will’s ass before raising his hand and slapping it, hard enough that Will cried out, body tensing involuntarily. </p><p>“Good as new, huh?” Jed said with a gentle pat to his hip. “Remember this is supposed to be fun, babe. Don’t give me that look.”</p><p>He pressed a kiss into the side of Will’s neck and Will gave a shaky almost-laugh, thinking Jed was possibly the only person in the world who could do something like that without making it feel humiliating. </p><p>Before he could finish that line of thought, he felt Jed’s hand snaking around his waist, wrapping around his half-hard cock. It only took a few strokes for Will to start thrusting into it, moaning as he was pushed closer and closer to the edge by Jed’s hands and Hannibal’s cock, pummeling all the tender, sensitive places inside him.</p><p>“Fuck, don’t stop,” Will panted, hips moving to meet Hannibal’s thrusts. He pitched forward, sliding his fingers through coarse chest hair, nails slipping over sweaty skin. “Hannibal, please—”</p><p>“Please what?” </p><p>“Say something, talk to me.”</p><p>“Do you want to hear you’re beautiful, Will?”</p><p>“No, just—just the truth.” Will felt himself tearing up again. He was struck with the absurd desire to hear Hannibal say he loved him, or even liked him. That this wasn’t just something he did to mess with him, to push him to his limits or humiliate him. “Why are we doing this?”</p><p>Hannibal slowed his thrusts, looking up at him properly. “The convergence of past and present,” he said, breathless, voice rough. “Maybe even the future.”</p><p>“What is there for us in the future?”</p><p>“Anything.” Hannibal grabbed his face, stroking sweaty strands of hair out of Will’s face. “That’s what I’ve always tried to tell you.”</p><p>Will turned his face and nuzzled Hannibal’s palm, nodding, crying in earnest now even though he tried to make it stop. Hannibal picked up the pace of his thrusts again, fucking him harder, and Jed held him from behind, hand moving slick and firm over his cock. Will felt sore and aching, bruised from the inside out, and his orgasm was as much pleasure as it was pain. He came with a harsh cry, spilling all over Jed’s hand, and moments later Hannibal grabbed his hips and held him still as he emptied himself inside Will.</p><p>They all fell together into Jed’s bed, Hannibal rolling over to grant Will space in the middle. Will was exhausted, nose stuffy and eyes burning, his insides so sore he winced when he tried to get comfortable between Hannibal and Jed. Still, sleep didn’t seem far away once his head hit the pillow. </p><p>“God, I think I’m falling asleep,” he mumbled. “Sorry.”</p><p>“That’s alright,” Hannibal said. “You get some rest.”</p><p>“Will you stay?” Will asked, not bothering to hide the note of pleading in his voice. “Both of you.”</p><p>“Sure,” Jed said, shifting to get more comfortable. “We’ll be here until you crash, okay?”</p><p>Will tried to nod, but found he couldn’t. He felt a blanket being pulled over him and then his eyes fell shut as sleep dragged him away.</p><p>*</p><p>Hannibal closed his eyes, though he didn’t intend to sleep. He remained awake for long enough to hear Jed getting out of bed, his belt buckle jingling in the dark as he got dressed and padded downstairs. There was the faint sound of what had to be the back door screeching open, and then there was nothing but silence. </p><p>Looking over to the side, Hannibal found Will curled up like a child with the blankets pulled all the way up to his chin. He was frowning, as though he were having a nightmare. Hannibal didn’t disturb him, only slid out of bed as quietly as he could and got dressed, making his way downstairs. </p><p>He found Jed smoking on the porch, leaning on his elbows against the wooden railing while thin tendrils of grey rose to the dark sky. Hannibal stepped outside, joining Jed where he was standing.</p><p>“You smoke, Hannibal?”</p><p>Hannibal didn’t, but there were plenty of things he didn’t do that he had done that night. He accepted a cigarette from the crinkled pack and leaned closer, drawing a deep breath as Jed touched the glowing tip of his cigarette to his own. A slight smile crept into the corners of Jed’s mouth as their cigarettes glowed together, twin fireflies in the dark.</p><p>“You don’t look used to doing that.”</p><p>Hannibal watched the wisps of smoke twining together and dissolving in the air. “How can you tell?”</p><p>“You can always tell.” Jed blew smoke out of his nose, reminding Hannibal of an agitated bull. “I suppose you were feeling adventurous tonight.”</p><p>“That is one way to put it.” Hannibal took a drag of his cigarette, letting the smoke touch his lungs. “Did you enjoy yourself tonight, Jed?”</p><p>Jed looked down, sniffing, rubbing the back of his hand over his nose. “I care a great deal about Will,” he said. “Always did. I know it’s none of my business but—I didn’t like the sound of everything I heard just now, you know. Don’t like to see him cry.”</p><p>“Will and I have a past. Neither of us is innocent.”</p><p>“That’s beside the point, I think.” Jed dropped his cigarette to the ground and crushed it beneath his boot. “I know Will is special. It makes sense he’d meet someone like you. But I meant it when I said I won’t let anyone hurt him, not if I can stop it.”</p><p><em>You can’t</em>, Hannibal thought, but he didn’t say it. “I have no intentions of hurting Will,” he said instead, which was true. “He is the love of my life.” </p><p>“Does he know that?”</p><p>Hannibal had no answer he wanted to share with Jed, so he said nothing, studying the cigarette between his fingers instead.</p><p>“I can tell he loves you,” Jed said. “And that he’s afraid.”</p><p>“I told you, I don’t plan to hurt him.”</p><p>“I didn’t mean it like that.” Jed sighed. “Will is special, but he’s like anyone, Hannibal. He just wants to be happy and loved. Wouldn’t hurt to tell him how you feel about him once in a while. You’re supposedly married.”</p><p>Hannibal shot him an icy look. “Supposedly?”</p><p>Jed maintained eye-contact for a tense second. Then he shrugged. “None of my business, as I said.”</p><p>Hannibal stubbed out his cigarette on the railing, where white paint was curling and peeling off. “We ought to check on him. He might have woken up.”</p><p>Jed nodded and followed Hannibal inside, where they ran into Will as he was coming down the stairs. He looked hollow-eyed and drowsy, but his hair was wet and his cheeks were flushed pink, so Hannibal assumed he’d just come out of the shower. He was wearing one of Jed’s shirts, a thick, worn flannel so large it almost touched his knees.</p><p>“You don’t smoke,” Will told Hannibal. Hannibal shook his head. The corners of Will’s mouth twisted in a slight smile. “You both reek. Sex and cigarettes and alcohol.”</p><p>“All good things,” Jed said, smiling back at him. “Feeling alright, Willy?”</p><p>“I’m good. Can I talk to my husband alone for a minute?”</p><p>“Knock yourself out.” Jed checked his wrist watch. “I’m going out to feed the horses. No need to wait up, go back to bed anytime you like.”</p><p>Jed walked away and Will sat down on a one of the steps, making room for Hannibal to sit next to him. He released a deep breath, and Hannibal waited patiently for him to speak up. He was unsure what to expect. Considering what had just transpired, there were many potential outcomes.</p><p>“Could he daily feel a stab of hunger for you,” Will finally said, words slow and practiced, “and find nourishment at the very sight of you?”</p><p>Hannibal recognized it instantly, despite the change in pronouns. “I think so,” he said. “But would he see through the bars of his plight and ache for him?”</p><p>“Dante,” Will murmured. “I asked Bedelia if you were in love with me, and that’s what she said. She asked me if I ache for you.”</p><p>“And what did you say?”</p><p>“Nothing. I didn’t know what to say.” Will paused. “I sailed across the Atlantic to find you. When I visited your childhood home—I got to inhabit you. See the world the way you see it. I left something for you, if you ever return.”</p><p>“What is it?”</p><p>Will shook his head. He drew his knees up and hugged them to his chest, suddenly looking small, the sleeves of Jed’s shirt reaching past his knuckles.</p><p>“I’d like to think I’ve changed you,” he said. “But you’ve changed me more. You weren’t wrong about that.”</p><p>“I have entertained the possibility you were right all along, Will.”</p><p>“I’m not sure it even matters now.” Will closed his eyes. “I’m not sure there’s been a single day I haven’t—ached for you.”</p><p>“I love you.” Hannibal said it without thinking, as natural and compulsive as a heartbeat. He watched Will’s head snap up, his lips parting and then closing again. But he didn’t speak, didn’t even move. </p><p>Their moment suspended in time finally became too much for Hannibal to bear. He put his hands on Will’s face and swiped his thumb over the dragon’s mark, watching his eyes flutter closed, seeing the bob of his Adam’s apple as he swallowed hard. He didn’t expect what Will said next.</p><p>“I transformed your prisoner in the basement.” His voice was lowered to a rough whisper, and for the briefest of seconds, Hannibal’s heart felt like it stopped beating. </p><p>“You were the one who killed him?” he asked.</p><p>Will shook his head. “He didn’t die by my hand. I changed him. Hung him from the ceiling like an ornament, remade him with crushed glass and snail shells and leaves until he emerged as something beautiful. Metamorphoses. Imago. Only you would see it too, the beauty of it.”</p><p>“Why did you do it?”</p><p>“I wanted to be you.” Will paused, tipped his head to the side. “Maybe erase you.”</p><p>“And now?”</p><p>“I just want—” Will’s breath hitched. “You said we had a future.”</p><p>“We do,” Hannibal said it with more insistence than he intended. He was still holding Will’s face and felt his grip tighten instinctively. “We were transformed by your hand.”</p><p>Hannibal saw something waver in Will’s eyes: uncertainty, sorrow, maybe even anger, but before it could solidify, he closed his eyes and leaned in to kiss him. Will stiffened, lips tight beneath the press of Hannibal’s mouth, but then he went limp in Hannibal’s arms. He opened his mouth to let Hannibal taste him, soft and wet and warm, yielding like flesh beneath a knife. </p><p>They finally parted, breathing as harshly as when they fought together, when Will toppled them over the edge of the cliff. Hannibal didn’t want to let go, wanted to keep Will close now that he finally had him to himself.</p><p>“We should leave,” Will said.</p><p>“Where do you want to go?”</p><p>“Not back to the motel. I don’t want to wait. Can you call Chiyoh?”</p><p>“I can.” Hannibal considered the time. “The boat should be waiting for us by now in any case.”</p><p>Will nodded. He glanced back towards the door. “Go back to the car. I’ll be there in a minute.”</p><p>Hannibal gave Will’s cheek another lingering touch before letting his hand fall away. “As you wish, Will.”</p><p>*</p><p>When Jed got back from tending to his horses, he found the house quiet in that peculiar way it was when it was completely empty. He shook his head and resisted a sigh, not quite surprised, but sorry to see Will go without saying goodbye. He was just about to go upstairs to shower and get ready for bed when he noticed a note on the hallway table. Picking it up, he recognized the handwriting instantly, though it was neater than he recalled.</p><p>
  <em>Jed,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I’m sorry we had to leave without telling you. I think you’d understand if you knew why. I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done, tonight and before then. I love you and I’ll miss you.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Take care of yourself,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Will Graham</em>
</p><p>Jed read the note and then reread it, chuckling to himself. The young boy who roamed his memories was no different from the man he’d met today, both of them rash, both of them driving him halfway mad with worry without even trying. Still, Will had gotten by so far. Some might even say he was thriving, all things considered.</p><p>Carefully folding the note, Jed put it in a hallway drawer. He was tempted to put the paper to his nose to see if he could smell Will on it somehow, but there would be no point. It would be nothing but a faded footprint, a shadow or a ghost from the past.</p>
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